Some of the world's top experts on climate change have been gathering Tuesday in Australia's Gold Coast, as the Australian federal government was considering how it will respond to global warming.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, who will on Tuesday welcome almost 1,000 delegates from around the world, is likely to face some tough questions about what the new prime minister, Julia Gillard, will do, Australian Associated Press reported.

The Climate Adaptation Futures conference, co-hosted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization ( CSIRO) and Griffith University at the Gold Coast Convention Center, runs from Tuesday until Thursday.

Director of the CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship Dr Andrew Ash said scientists hoped the event would bring climate adaptation issues into sharper focus.

Speakers will include the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Achim Steiner, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chief Scientist Joseph Alcamo.

The conference will also feature leading scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, set up by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization to provide the world with a clear scientific view on climate change and its consequences.

The Gold Coast is a city in the Australian state of Queensland.

Gillard has become Australia's first female prime minister, as Kevin Rudd stood down as Labor Party leader on Thursday morning.

One of the prime reason for Rudd's failure was his decision to put off his plan to tackle climate change until at least 2013.